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eSATA - DIRECTV recommended list

576K views 4K replies 404 participants last post by  mjfoxtrot 
#1 ·
Can I increase the recording capacity of my DVR?

For folks that are adding HDD capacity to their receiverss, DIRECTV has added the following FAQ to their web page:

DIRECTV.com
Yes, you can increase the recording capacity of your DVR or HD DVR simply by connecting an external hard drive with greater storage than the receiver's internal hard drive.

First, make sure you have a compatible receiver. Check the model number inside the small door located on bottom right corner of the front of the receiver. The model number should read either R22 (DIRECTV Plus® DVR) or HR20 or above (DIRECTV Plus® HD DVR).

You'll need an external hard drive that uses an eSATA connection. The following hard drive models are recommended:

  • Western Digital 500GB (model WDG1S5000)
  • Seagate 500GB (model ST30500SCA109-RK)
  • Western Digital 1TB (model WDG1S10000)
  • [STRIKE]Seagate 1TB (model ST31000SCA109-RK)[/STRIKE]

Follow these steps to connect the external hard drive:

  1. Turn off your receiver by unplugging the power cord. (Do not rely on the power button.)
  2. Look for the port on the back of your receiver labeled SATA.
  3. Connect the eSATA hard drive with an eSATA cable. Make sure the cable is firmly connected on both ends.
  4. Turn on the eSATA hard drive and give it several seconds to spin up to speed.
  5. Plug in the power chord of your receiver.

When your receiver reboots, it will automatically see the newly-connected hard drive. The hard drive inside your receiver will be disabled.

You now have expanded recording capacity. With a 1TB hard drive, you can record up to 200 hours of HD programming.

Please note: We offer this tip because we want to help you get the most out of your DIRECTV experience. It is recommended for advanced users who are comfortable working with electronic hardware. This modification of your DIRECTV system is not officially supported by DIRECTV.
 
#3,152 ·
Rich said:
I'm pretty sure it won't work on the two tuner sets. I don't have any need for a Genie, so I just know what I read about them. I'm kinda surprised that they took away that ability on the two tuner units but left it alone on the Genies. Or maybe it works again on the two tuner sets.

Rich
I tried to boot with only an Xternal a couple of days ago on my HR21. No go..
 
#3,153 ·
Got my 2 TB drive and now I can't find the power cord to the Thermaltake dock. Their website doesn't specify the amperage- it's a 12v. External, and the input isn't stickers. Tried a 1 amp one I had lying around, but it didn't show up on my computer, so I don't know if the wrong wall wart is the problem or something else. At least no smoke was apparent and the drive spun up, but didn't mount. If someone could post what the specs are for the power supply, I would be grateful.
 
#3,156 ·
Laxguy said:
Ah, thank you very much. That will narrow the search down a lot. I've saved wall warts over the years, and must have fifty or so. Time to weed them; at least the Nokia and Motorola ones can go!
Now, wouldn't you think everybody should have to label their wall warts as Roku kindly does? I have so many of the damn things in a bin that I know I'll never use, but I also know, with my luck, I could throw them all out and need one the next day. :nono2:

Frustrating, isn't it?

Rich
 
#3,157 ·
Rich said:
Now, wouldn't you think everybody should have to label their wall warts as Roku kindly does? I have so many of the damn things in a bin that I know I'll never use, but I also know, with my luck, I could throw them all out and need one the next day. :nono2:

Frustrating, isn't it?

Rich
I've tried to get in the habit of labeling them as I get them, but yeah, it would be nice if they shipped that way.
 
#3,158 ·
Excelsior! Found it, and it even matches the picture on their website. (which gives no freakin' specs!). It was on a Netgear router I set up recently, and so when I went to replace it with a wall wart that was labelled Netgear, it didn't work. It was one amp. So , I found another two amp wall wart for the Netgear, and, crossing fingers, I am back in business.

I try not to over power or underpowered my devices, and so fingers are really crossed on the Netgear 3400.
 
#3,161 ·
Hey guys I just had an HR44-500 installed. Been a few years since I've had DirecTV and upgraded the external drive. I think I had 1TB before.

I was wondering if anyone has had a 6 TB setup and can share what they used? It sounds like this Thermaltake Max 5 (http://www.amazon.com/Thermaltake-A...1U/dp/B004G8QETS/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top)%C2 works with up to 3 TB (even though it says on site only up to 2 TB). Can anyone confirm if this works with 6 TB drives?

Also do you guys recommend the Western Digital Reds or Greens?

http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digital-3-5-inch-IntelliPower-WD60EFRX/dp/B00LO3KR96/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1421442262&sr=8-2&keywords=6+tb+internal+hard+drive&pebp=1421442275070&peasin=B00LO3KR96

http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digital-3-5-inch-IntelliPower-WD60EZRX/dp/B00LO3KMK0/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1421442262&sr=8-3&keywords=6+tb+internal+hard+drive
 
#3,163 ·
RunnerFL said:
There are numerous postings in this very same thread from those of us running large drive setups. I've run up to 16TB personally.
Cool, what is your setup? I looked back in this thread about a year and a half, I see people running more than 4TB but only with RAID, multiple disk setups. Are there known single drive eSata enclosures model numbers that will work with one 6TB drive?
 
#3,165 ·
SubSolar said:
Cool, what is your setup? I looked back in this thread about a year and a half, I see people running more than 4TB but only with RAID, multiple disk setups. Are there known single drive eSata enclosures model numbers that will work with one 6TB drive?
There are several people in here using single drive eSATA enclosures. You just need to do your reading like everyone else has or do like most of us and just give it a shot and let us know if it works or not.

The trend seems to be WD Red or Purple drives now. Several people have them working. I personally go with Enterprise level Seagate drives.
 
#3,168 ·
WestDC said:
Your Hr24 WOn't support any drive larger than 2TB

A genie will support Drive up to 16TB
Right. You might be able to mount a 4TB in a 24 but I'd think you'd only be able to use it as a 2TB HDD. I can see where people might have installed a 4TB externally or internally on a 24 and thought they were getting all 4TBs of capacity, there's nothing on the 24s that would tell you that you're only using 2TBs. But the limit is fixed in stone at 2TBs.

Rich
 
#3,169 ·
Rich said:
Right. You might be able to mount a 4TB in a 24 but I'd think you'd only be able to use it as a 2TB HDD. I can see where people might have installed a 4TB externally or internally on a 24 and thought they were getting all 4TBs of capacity, there's nothing on the 24s that would tell you that you're only using 2TBs. But the limit is fixed in stone at 2TBs.

Rich
Yeah, the only way to know for sure is to then take the drive and hook it up to a PC and check the partitions. I've tried this numerous times myself and any drive over 2TB is partitioned as only 2TB on any HR2X machine.
 
#3,172 ·
RunnerFL said:
ok so a 2gb upgrade would be pretty substantial, especially with 2 DVR's in the home so i could go 4 total between the two.

im a noobie to this and ive spent the last 2-3 weeks looking into hdd's over all kinds of searches so I finally joined DBSTalk since it seems like the most knowledge is found here.

The question i have is because it has to be an eSata connection, im curious if there is a 2gb eSata HDD unit (1 box hdd, cable, power etc) that works on the HR24? whenever i think i find one there is someone saying the hdd that was recommended doesn't work well with the hr24?

Could anybody recommend one? I just had both HR24's fail and plugged in yesterday so there will be minimal loss if I can get an External hooked up in time and if they fail again i will still have the shows I recorded.
 
#3,173 ·
TheJoe said:
ok so a 2gb upgrade would be pretty substantial, especially with 2 DVR's in the home so i could go 4 total between the two.

im a noobie to this and ive spent the last 2-3 weeks looking into hdd's over all kinds of searches so I finally joined DBSTalk since it seems like the most knowledge is found here.

The question i have is because it has to be an eSata connection, im curious if there is a 2gb eSata HDD unit (1 box hdd, cable, power etc) that works on the HR24? whenever i think i find one there is someone saying the hdd that was recommended doesn't work well with the hr24?

Could anybody recommend one? I just had both HR24's fail and plugged in yesterday so there will be minimal loss if I can get an External hooked up in time and if they fail again i will still have the shows I recorded.
I believe you mean 2 TB. Generally you want to buy an active cooled enclosure for the SATA HDD. most already built in units are poorly cooled.

Sent from my iPad Pro using Tapatalk
 
#3,174 ·
peds48 said:
I believe you mean 2 TB. Generally you want to buy an active cooled enclosure for the SATA HDD. most already built in units are poorly cooled.

Sent from my iPad Pro using Tapatalk
Sorry, im not savy to all this. What is an "active cooled enclosure" opposed to "most already built in units"?

So is there a popular Enclosure and brand HDD that are the go-to's?

Thank you
 
#3,176 ·
TheJoe said:
Sorry, im not savy to all this. What is an "active cooled enclosure" opposed to "most already built in units"?

So is there a popular Enclosure and brand HDD that are the go-to's?

Thank you
active cooled means it has a fan(s) to keep the HDD cool as opposed as just having vents.

Sent from my iPad Pro using Tapatalk
 
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